LAN (Ethernet) access, using the cradle
Note: for the F/X series, only the Japanese firmware and Gigabeat Room software is supported for LAN access (reasons unknown) The G, F and X series all share similar traits in terms of LAN access in that they first require the cradle to function (in the case of the X series where the cradle was very rare, it can actually use an F series cradle but the cradle would need to be modified to allow it to fit). Both cradles have USB 1.1 only speeds so it is very slow to begin with and should probably only be used for small music updates only. The cradle would require a USB to Ethernet adapter, but only supports two types of hardware - the IO Data USB-ET/TS-X or the Buffalo LUA2-TX. Again, very hard to come by in the US but fairly cheap to import from Japan. The Buffalo will work on both the G series and F series cradles (and presumably the X series, if you could find one). Setup of the device itself occurs within the Toshiba Audio Application (G series) or Gigabeat Room (F/X) software, under the Options section. Both programs will write this information not only in the local registry of the PC, but also in a file called "gigabeat.conf" on the root of the local device. It will save the computer name you've selected, the workgroup, user name, hashed password and any IP4 information you've setup. Note: you don't need the cradle for this step, you can setup the device using just a direct USB connection. Using the cradle after the setup, connect the device to the cradle and then the USB adapter and you now see a connection screen pop-up. This setup using an old version of Samba in the firmware and an important note is that it only supports network access using Lan Manager or I believe NTLM v1. In Windows XP this "just works" given the age of the software, but with Vista or later LM/NTLMv1 support would need to be enabled for network access for the device to function. Be wary of course that that older connectivity has security concerns so changing this has its own risks, for example on a PC that you use for etailers or financial purposes - I'd recommend a VM test or a PC you only use for music transfer purposes. To then map the network device, go into the Toshiba application again after the device is online and then "Map/Disconnect network Drive" option. If this works it should pop up a drive letter screen almost immediately. What is going on behind the scenes is the application is 1) attempting to negotiate an SMB connection to the network device. Once it negotiates the app connects to a "gb-sec" share on the device which I believe has a hashed key that is created with a combination of factors within the internal hardware (including the HDD device information). Assuming that secure connection is successful it will then attempt to connect to the share you setup earlier and then the pop-up appears for the drive letter. If any of these sections fail, the application will error out. But if all this works, the device will connection with the TAA or Gigabeat Room application just like it was connected locally and then you can transfer at blazing USB 1.1 speeds. :) Again probably not particularly useful anymore, but if you still use the device today and want to keep the device/cradle near your router and your PC setup in another room, this is a way to make small updates to your music library....as long as you have the right software and hardware.